Chapter 4

HALEY'S POV

Oh, God.

School.

Proper definition of school:

1. An institution for the instruction of children or people under college age.

2. An institution for instruction in a skill or business: a secretarial school; a karate school.

3. The process of being educated formally, especially education constituting a planned series of courses over a number of years: The children were put to school at home. What do you plan to do when you finish school?

4. A session of instruction: School will start in three weeks. He had to stay after school today.

5. Close-order drill instructions or exercises for military units or personnel.

6. Australian A group of people gathered together for gambling.

MY definition of school:

1. A wonderful time where everyone criticizes Haley Andrews.

2. An institution for the ones considering suicide, murder or just plain torture.

3. A place where young teachers screw even younger girls.

4. A place where parents kick their over-caffeinated children to learn the definition of words that you may never use in life, but they say will be useful ONE DAY. Please be more SPECIFIC (big word) parents.

5. A place where everyone doesn't even bother, and just ditch.

6.Location of the worst day ever. Also know as: The Incident.

"Get your ass in that shower, Haley! Or I'll-" Mom shrieks up the stairs. Deja vu, much?

I fall in a tangle from my sheets, shoving Parker, Louisiana and Franklin off my bed. This whole new good impression thingy is gonna need some time to get the hang of. I mean, waking up early to wash, blow dry and straighten my hair? I hadn't done that in nearly a year! Who was I kidding anyway, everyone would still call me irritating names. I slump my shoulders and glance at the outfit I had chosen after dinner.

It was flashy. VERY flashy. I mean, I wanted to stand out, but wow. I must have been drunk on the half-glass of wine I'd had last night.

It was one of Mom's special outfits. It was a long ruffled at the top sky-blue shirt, and a short gray skirt. For more flair, I'd added super shiny black designer boots and long black leg-warmers/tight thingys. A black riding-jacket to complete the outfit. Very sexy. I glanced at the clock.

I think I know the feeling of heart-attack now. It was the feeling when your eyes landed in the impossible time to do makeup, hair and accessories. It's 7:15AM.

"HOLY FUCK, MOM!" I scream. "You could've woken me up earlier!" Okay, I don't think people having heart-attacks scream cusses to their mother's, but I think I may go down in history for this one. I scramble toward my washroom, stripping so fast out of my Funny Bunny pajamas, I grazed my skin!

"Shit, shit, shit!" I swore, as my underwear got caught in my toe. I rip it off, then dive into the shower. Two minutes was NOT enough time to shower thoroughly, but I had no freaking choice. I felt like I had simply jumped in and out.

"ARGHHH!" I shout as I run into my room, stark-naked. The cliché thing to happen would be; a guy laying on my bed, and we go at it. AHH! Not the time to think of having sex! I pull on my first underwear. The day of the week ones, with very hot guys on them. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought them, but no time to dwell on that now.

I snap on my very embarrassing A cup bra and grab my beautiful clothes off the hanger. I glance at the clock and scream even louder. Thirty minutes to get my hair right. I pull on the clothes in less then a minute.

I grab the spot where my hairdryer should be. But noooo, God doesn't want me to form my awesome group, Florida Girls. I think He prefers girls from Miami.

"MOM!" I scream, so loudly, it shook the walls. "WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS MY HAIRDRYER?!?"

My mom doesn't respond, and I know I'm in deep shit for swearing at her, but whatever. I groan in frustration and just decide to go for straightening. I plug it in and run it through my wet hair.

Hisss!

"Ow, ow, OW!" I flinch as the straightener burns my skin. I run it through my hair quickly. I rush to my mirror and start the cosmetics. Blue eyeshadow to bring out my eyes, black eyeliner to make the eyes pop (Mom's words, not mine). Faint blush to make me look slightly flushed, and concealer to hide that annoying pimple near my hairline.

My eyes land on the clock. Five minutes until eight. Oh, please God, have Cassandra (my bus driver, although I take city, she's ALWAYS the one to drive me to my next stop), be late!

I doubted it though. Cass was either five minutes early or twenty minutes late. But she was nearly always early. I grab my bag and remember the poem that's due today. No! Not now, Haley! I'll do it on the bus. No time for breakfast...My stomach growled in protest.

"Shut up!" I hiss. Yes, I talk to my stomach. I rush out the door, to be greeted by a cloudy sky. Lucky me. I run so fast down the street, I wonder where Coach McLane is to congratulate me and award me 1# place on the track team. The bus stop looms closer and I skid to a stop, breathing heavily.

I look around warily. There is no one but some young dude sitting on the bench. He was pretty young actually, and cute too. Shaggy black hair and Asian eyes. 7/10. I plop down on the bench beside him.

Usually, by now, Faith and some other kids in the neighborhood would've arrived, but no show. The man is looking at me closely.

"Hey, aren't you a high-school kid?" he asks, nodding to my hand, where my ID card stood.

"Um, yeah," I answer, slightly creeped out by the way he's studying me. He smiles and sticks out his hand.

"I'm Todd." He waits for me to shake back, so I grab his large hand. Sorta comforting. "Early riser." He nods approvingly.

"Oh," was my smart reply. "I'm Haley, and I think you mean very-late-fat-ass." He laughs.

"What're you talking about?" He pulls out an iPhone and shows me the screen. "It's only 7:20AM. And by what I collected, I'm not seeing any fat ass."

I don't know what to say. He was freaking me out and sending me into anger. Let's tackle the earliness first.

"WHAT?!?!" I cry, jumping up from the bench. He looks frightened by my sudden outburst. "You mean that whole quick session was AN HOUR EARLY?" Then I remember. I STILL hadn't changed my clock when it was time to move back. And when it was time to move forward, I had changed it. Stupid, stupid me. "I'm gonna kill Mom for not telling me I had forty minutes."

Todd grinned at me. "You're a very cute girl, getting all pissy over being early." My mind suddenly clicked. He was a college student. The college kids took the bus early to go over to Wetherbury College. Very creative name, I know.

Okay, now to get weirded out over the butt comment. I took him in. His button down shirt and acid-washed jeans. He looked preppy. Too preppy for even me. I mean, he was wearing penny loafers. Fashion disaster. "Um, thanks." I had to get off this bench. And quick.

Suddenly, a girl with chin-length black hair and an Asian look about her sits down beside me. "Hi!" she squeaked.

This is my dream come true. Being stuck in the middle of a total pedophile and a Barbie look-alike from Japan. Yay. (Note the tone of sarcasm.)

"Hi," I reply dryly.

"I'm Alicia! I'm Todd's twin sister." She smiles widely at me. I was usually a pessimist, but this cute little girl who looked my age smiling at me, made me smile. And I never smile. "Sorry if Todd was being a perv."

I chuckle. She must know him well. "No problem. I'm used to it." Insert seductive wink. "I'm Haley by the way."

"Are you going to the college?" she asks. I shake my head 'no' and her mouth forms a perfect 'o'.

"I love your jacket!" she exclaims. "In fact, I love your whole outfit!" She fingers my ruffle shirt and black jacket. I look at her clothes. Wrinkling my nose, I stare at the weather-beaten overalls, big pink sweater and very old looking Uggs. I pray to God that this girl will learn how to dress. But I'm sorta pissed at God now, so I don't take the prayer to the next level.

Alicia continues to chatter, much to Todd's obvious dismay. I tune her out and pull out my new cell. 7:35AM. Five minutes for their bus to arrive. I decide to shut her up by asking questions.

"So, you guys are eighteen?" They nod yes. "Cool. Where do you two live? And where are you from?"

Todd points to a house a bit down the street. Using my awesome eyesight, I notice its dead look. A porch with nothing on it, wild, untamed grass, a slanted roof and its obvious fading color. It looked more like a bungalow though, which was strange, since our whole neighborhood was full of 'getting rich! Just one more Jeopardy show!' people. "We're from Asia."

Before Alicia could launch into the major-gossip going down at campus, the bus pulls up. "Well, we better go. Visit us some time."

Yeah, I'm gonna accept the invitation from a major perv and no-pause-button-in-display girl. But my heart warms up at the thought. I got an invitation! I hadn't had one of those in ages. This whole new better beginning thing is working.

Not much later, my bus pulls up, and I flash my ID. I don't notice Faith much, since after the twins left, I'd been hard at work on my poem. I sit down in one of the front seats and ignore the snoring man beside me.

(INSERT AWESOME POEM OF AWESOMENESS—I can't write poems.)

I sigh as I close my binder. I lean back in my chair. A new beginning. My tense shoulders loosen a bit.

Yeah, Haley Andrews is ready for a new beginning.

A/N: Yeeeee! Four chapters! This one was written on computer for two hours straight, and my fingers are all numby at the tips. Yeah, the sacrifice I just did. PS-Emo's name is Emy, now!

ALSO, if you like my writing here, then you'll LOVE my writing on my REAL account: MissFrizz37. Please check me out!

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